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Photodegradable Hydrogel Interfaces for Bacteria Screening, Selection, and Isolation
Published on: November 4, 2021
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CuS@Corn Stalk/Chitin Composite Hydrogel for Photodegradation and Antibacterial
Yutong Xiong1, Bichong Luo1, Guixin Chen1
1State Key Laboratory of Pulp and Paper Engineering, South China University of Technology, 381 Wushan Road, Guangzhou 510640, China.
Polymers
|August 28, 2019
Summary
Uniformly dispersed copper sulfide nanoparticles (CuS NPs) were stabilized using corn stalk and integrated into a chitin hydrogel. This composite material exhibits excellent photocatalytic and antibacterial properties for wastewater treatment.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Environmental Science
Background:
- Copper sulfide nanoparticles (CuS NPs) possess valuable optical and electrical properties but tend to aggregate due to high surface activity.
- Effective strategies are needed to achieve uniform dispersion of CuS NPs for advanced applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a method for fabricating uniformly dispersed CuS NPs within a composite hydrogel structure.
- To investigate the photocatalytic and antibacterial efficacy of the developed CuS NP-based composite hydrogel.
Main Methods:
- Utilized corn stalk as a template and stabilizer for CuS NP dispersion.
- Fabricated a CuS@corn stalk/chitin composite hydrogel via crosslinking with chitin.
- Characterized the composite hydrogel structure using UV-vis spectroscopy, XRD, FT-IR, and SEM.
Main Results:
- Achieved uniform dispersion of CuS NPs within a 3D network structure of the composite hydrogel.
- The composite hydrogel demonstrated peroxidase-like activity, generating hydroxyl radicals (·OH).
- Exhibited effective photodegradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) and antibacterial activity against *Escherichia coli* and *Staphylococcus aureus*.
Conclusions:
- The corn stalk-templated CuS NPs integrated into chitin hydrogels offer a stable and functional material.
- The composite hydrogel shows promise for photocatalytic wastewater treatment and sterilization applications.
- This approach provides a novel pathway for the functional utilization of CuS NPs.
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